The harvesting of tomatoes is arduous and time-consuming. They are picked by hand from low plants which often are covered by mud and dirt. Not only it is necessary to pick them, but before packaging, they must be washed at least partially, to remove dirt. This is accomplished theretofore by taking a hopper wagon to the field and provided in the wagon is a water circulating pump. Tomatoes, as they are picked, are dumped into the hopper wagon which eventually leaves the field to have its load of tomatoes removed and delivered to a truck for transport to a packing plant, for example. This requires much time and labor and some device is desired to receive tomatoes from the hopper wagon and deliver them efficiently and speedily to an elevated surface such as a truck bed, for example.
An object is to produce a simple and efficient elevator conveyor to which articles, such as tomatoes, can be delivered in quantity and which will convey them to an elevated surface without damage, and to enable the discharge end of the conveyor to be adjusted vertically to the height of the truck bed or surface to which delivery is desired.
Other objects and advantages will appear as description of the preferred embodiment proceeds.